Explore our online annual report for interviews, key facts and figures on digital television switchover in the year to 31 March 2010

My early fears about the risks around the switchover project havenít been born out. Now Iíve got to add the caveat that says, so far, we sit here in the early part of 2010, but what we see is a major national project that has gone, hitherto very successfully. Millions of households have been switched, several different regions of the UK with all their different geographical features have been successfully switched and most recently the 'Granada-land' area of the north west of England with the particular challenges posed by big cities, has been successfully switched. So, so far, so good, I would say.

At the outset of the project, we all identified a particular risk around this project, which was the risk around those people who would not be able to figure out, without assistance and support, exactly what it was they had to do in their own homes in order to be able to handle the switchover.

Two good schemes are in place to support people who, for whatever reason might have a problem with doing the switchover in their own home because, letís remember people have to do something in their house for the most part, to make this happen. Thereís a Switchover Help Scheme which has been very successful in getting information out, providing practical support, giving people the knowledge that they need to enable them to do this themselves. And then Digital UKís own Outreach scheme, working with charities who support the most vulnerable people, has I think, been notably successful in providing targeted support for the people, who as I say, are the most vulnerable.

But thereís still a lot to do, still a substantial part of the UK to be covered and weíve got to make sure we keep our eye on the ball; that the people in our society, who for whatever reason are the most vulnerable, will continue to need support throughout this process.